House of The Dragon:The Rise of the Emperor of the Seven Kingdoms

Dorne had officially joined the Seven Kingdoms, although not completely, and it was only a matter of time before that became a reality. At this moment, the focus of the entire Great Hall was on Jaehaerys and Mara, above the steps.

As everyone shouted like madmen, Jaehaerys offered his arm to Mara, and the princess accepted. Both descended the steps and walked toward Alysanne.

The king’s eyes settled on Gael and Maekar, one by one, for a moment, and he turned his face, looking the other way, where he saw Rhaenys at another table, and at the next table, Daemon could be seen.

Three factions.

Six dragons.

Maekar had three dragons, Rhaenys had one dragon, and Viserys had two dragons.

If a war were to break out, Maekar would have the advantage with three adult dragonriders, counting Alysanne. Although Jaehaerys himself thought it unlikely that Alysanne would actually ride a dragon into war.

Still, in Jaehaerys’s eyes, this was already a terrible sign. House Targaryen was divided, and everyone coveted the Iron Throne. The lords, in turn, wanted exactly that. For only House Targaryen could destroy itself.

Aemon, my son, why did you have to die? Jaehaerys thought with a touch of melancholy. If Aemon were alive, such a thing would never have happened. Aemon would have been a better king than him; of that, Jaehaerys had no doubt.

"Why not ally yourself with me, princess? I can protect you from your uncle." Jaehaerys asked in a calm tone. "I will give you more than Maekar."

Mara looked at the king with a smile and answered calmly. "Unfortunately, I am a person who likes to repay favors. Maekar saved me, and I will give Dorne to the Seven Kingdoms."

"Besides, I lived alongside your grandson for over a month, and if there is one thing I know about him, it is that he does not tolerate betrayal. Just as he saved me, he will not hesitate to feed me to Bahamut." Mara added with a laugh.

"You think I cannot protect her from Maekar?" Jaehaerys asked, looking deeply at the girl holding his arm.

"Honestly, yes," Mara answered without any hesitation. "He is different from other men; I have never seen a man so decisive in my life. That makes him extremely dangerous."

"And Your Grace, you forgot something very important." Mara said with a smile.

"I forgot?" Jaehaerys asked, confused.

"Even if I betray Maekar and ally myself with Your Grace, for how long could the king protect me?" Mara did not answer and asked a question instead.

Jaehaerys understood the implications in Mara’s words. He was old; nothing in the world could change that. Just as Mara said, he could not protect the girl for long. In the end, whether Daemon or Viserys, neither would be able to protect Mara after he died.

Their brief conversation lasted only a moment, for they had already arrived before Alysanne.

"Jaehaerys." Jaehaerys heard his wife greet him by his own name instead of calling him husband; this displeased him a little, especially in public. Still, Jaehaerys did not want to worsen their marriage any further and controlled himself.

"I was worried about your coming to Harrenhal." Jaehaerys said in a calm tone, but his eyes swept over Gael and Maekar for a moment. The two of them looked like a perfect couple, there was truly love between them.

"My bones may be old, but I am still a dragonrider, and I was born to fly, even old. There is no need to worry, husband." Alysanne said in a calm tone, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips. Showing that she appreciated Jaehaerys’s concern.

Still, looking at Mara, who held her husband’s arm, Alysanne’s eyes narrowed into a dangerous look. There was one thing she had not told Roderick when he carried her to Gael’s room. She was equally possessive; she hated any woman touching her husband.

Mara, noticing the queen’s dangerous look, politely released Jaehaerys’s arm and stepped away, walking toward Gael and Maekar.

Seeing Alysanne go back to calling him husband, a smile appeared on Jaehaerys’s lips. He did not mind Mara’s departure and looked at Maekar with a triumphant look. Almost as if saying it. "Look, I still know how to win over my wife!"

Maekar certainly noticed the Old King’s look and rolled his eyes at Jaehaerys’s childishness. The older you get, the more childish and stubborn too, exactly like children, or rather, you are worse than children. At least children do not know they are doing something wrong.

"You arrived riding Vermithor." Alysanne remarked, looking at her husband with a gentler look.

"You managed to ride Silverwing; how could I not ride Vermithor?" Jaehaerys said in a calm tone, but there was a smile on the king’s lips. Obviously in good spirits after going so long without flying his companion in arms.

"How are things in Harrenhal?" Jaehaerys asked, glancing at Maekar. He had not expected the young man to return from Dorne at this moment. Which made him curious. After all, the conquest of Dorne was an important step for Maekar to gain the prestige needed to become king.

What could make this throne hungry boy abandon part of his plans and return to Harrenhal at such a decisive moment?

"Lord Matthos Tyrell and his entire retinue of twenty guards died last night." Alysanne answered in an equally calm tone. She herself had been present when Maekar ordered Lord Tyrell’s death.

Honestly, she found Matthos an incredibly foolish and arrogant man. Instead of supporting the only person who could protect them in Harrenhal, he dared to support Rhaenys. Did he really think he would be safe in the castle of the one he had refused to help?

In this Game of Thrones, every step had to be taken carefully, or it would end in death, whether by steel, poison, or dragonfire.

Jaehaerys could not help frowning upon hearing his wife’s words. Jaehaerys’s violet eyes unconsciously fell upon Maekar and then upon Daemon. He did not doubt for a moment that these two impulsive boys were capable of doing such a thing.

At the same time, he thought that if he had arrived later, it would not have been only Matthos who ended up dead, but others as well.

Jaehaerys was not exactly worried about Matthos’s death. After ordering Loreon’s death, he had realized something. House Targaryen was strong, so strong that even killing a lord of Loreon’s standing had not destabilized the balance he had built over nearly six decades.

On the contrary, it made the realm more solid, for, without the powerful Loreon, the Lannisters who came to King’s Landing were even more submissive than the Lords Paramount. This showed that fear and respect were still the right path for a king.

If the king does not show strength from time to time, the nobles forget that the Iron Throne was raised in the blood and fire of war.

On the other side, Maekar was listening to Mara’s words.

"Your grandfather tried to bribe me." Mara said with a smile.

"That treacherous, cunning, vile old man." Maekar could not help cursing Jaehaerys. At the same time, he looked at Mara with a deep look.

"Don’t look at me like that; I refused," Mara, aware of Maekar’s look, shrugged and spoke in an innocent tone.

"I know," Maekar said in a calm tone. "You are clever."

Mara rolled her eyes at his words, but his smile grew. Looking at Gael beside Maekar, she looked at the princess’s belly and asked in a lower tone:

"Will it be a boy or a girl?"

Gael resisted the urge to touch her own belly and looked at Maekar, waiting for his answer.

"It will be a boy and a girl," Maekar said in a calm tone, his eyes shining with a touch of tenderness.

"How do you know?" Mara asked in a confused tone.

"I dreamed it," Maekar answered with a smile, remembering the dream he had the night before.

"I also dreamed of delicious lemon cakes, but that is not why my future children will be lemon cakes." Mara rolled her eyes and said in an amused tone.

Maekar did not try to convince Mara that some rare Targaryens had quite specific dreams.

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/GOTSW

Read my other books:

House of The Dragon:The Rise of the Emperor of the Seven Kingdoms

Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos

Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.

Game Of Thrones: The King’s Court Wizard